Post-workout leg care can be as hot-button a topic as blanketing among horse owners. Some riders cold hose, wrap, and/or poultice their horse’s legs, while others simply leave their horses alone. But is there a “right” way to care for equine limbs after athletic exertion?

No matter if you piaffe, jump, trail ride, work cows or anything in between, we all want to ensure we’re doing the best by our four-legged partners. Read on to discover how two vets—both competitors themselves—care for their own horses, and how they recommend their clients do, as well.

Ins and Outs of Post-Workout Leg Care for the Horse

Lori Bidwell, DVM, Dipl. ACVA, is the co-owner and founder of East-West Equine Sports Medicine, which has locations in Kentucky and California. Bidwell is a certified veterinary acupuncturist, massage therapist and anesthesiologist. She travels from coast to coast with the hunter/jumper circuit and actively competes in the amateur jumpers.

Bidwell is a Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) Official Veterinarian, so she is well-versed in caring for elite athletes. She encourages her clients to begin thinking of their horse’s post-workout leg care as soon as their round ends.

“A cool-down until the horse’s respiratory and breathing [rates return to resting levels] are sufficient, but a nice, relaxing walk after strenuous work is best to keep the muscles loose,” she says.

Put it on Ice: Bidwell also recommends icing a competition horse’s legs for 20 minutes.

“If you’re using ice boots, wet the boot and the leg first,” she says. “You can cause freezer burn or have poor contact if you don’t [wet the leg before icing].”

Bidwell notes that the exact method of icing doesn’t matter. Having the horse stand in a bucket with ice works just as well as ice boots (assuming the horse will stand still). Twenty minutes is the standard time to ice if using boots; after that, the ice melts and the boots become too warm to offer the horse any benefit.

That’s a Wrap: Though it’s customary to see show horses standing in bandages in deeply bedded stalls when they’re not being ridden, Bidwell cautions that wrapping is not necessarily a good thing, even if the person applying the wraps does everything correctly.

“High temperatures in wraps—especially in warmer climates or during the summer show season—can actually overheat tendons, specifically the deep digital flexor tendon, because it has limited blood flow,” she says.

If you have a senior equine that may need the support or one that stocks up easily, wrapping may still not be the answer you’re looking for. Bidwell prefers time outside of a stall over wrapping, particularly when temperatures climb.

“Getting a horse out for work and frequent walks is ideal,” she says. Still a diehard fan of wrapping? Bidwell offers two additional pieces of advice: Never wrap over liniment, and don’t keep a horse’s legs wrapped for more than eight hours at a stretch.

The jury’s still out on poultice efficacy, but it doesn’t hurt, so if you want to feel like you’re doing something “more” for your steed, slathering his limbs in poultice—but not wrapping over it—could be an option.

Bedding: An easier way to keep competition horses comfortable is to bed them sufficiently. Deep bedding will help ease potential aches in a horse’s joints, according to Bidwell.

Determining what is adequate takes into account multiple variables, including what material the floor of the stall is made of. Concrete- or asphalt-based stalls will need more bedding to make them comfortable to the horse than dirt floors or matted stalls.

Packing Hooves: For those of you who like to pack your horse’s feet, Bidwell says to skip this potentially messy step.

“Packing feet can actually put more pressure on the soles, depending on what product is used and how it’s applied,” she cautions.

Walking & Stretching: Bidwell encourages her clients to use a simple, common-sense approach to competition leg care, with turnout (when possible) and exercise as the cornerstones for healthy legs following athletic exertion.

“Getting the horse out of his stall a few times a day [is ideal to keep muscles limber],” she says. If time and money permit, massage can also help loosen stiff muscles.

Owners and riders should also get into a routine of doing tail stretches or carrot stretches every time a horse exits the stall, whether that’s to hand-walk or compete.

“Think of horses like you think of yourself,” says Bidwell. “I’m very stiff when I get up in the morning. I need time to move and stretch, and I get very stiff if I am not active.” Horses are the same.

Keep It Simple

Ben Mitchell, DVM, of Southern Equine in Aiken, S.C., grew up riding and competing in western events. He currently owns four Quarter Horses that he trail rides and competes in speed events. Having grown up in the western performance horse industry, Mitchell is well versed in its athletic requirements.

Mitchell, too, is a proponent of the “less is more” mentality when it comes to caring for equine limbs. He recommends riders tack-walk or hand-walk their horses for 15 to 20 minutes after an event to cool them, followed by cold hosing or icing the lower legs and joints for 15 to 20 minutes.

If you can afford the price point, he recommends ice boots.

“Ice boots are helpful in decreasing inflammation to the distal limbs; they’re worth the investment,” says Mitchell.

After all the sweat and dirt have been washed from the horse, he recommends applying liniment to the horse’s legs once they begin to dry.

“Liniment is a good [method] for cooling a horses’ distal limbs, but I don’t recommend wrapping over liniment,” he says. Mitchell is also not a fan of wrapping legs except when necessary.

Instead, if you’re showing at a location where the horse is stabled, he recommends bringing (or renting) portable stall mats.

“Portable stall mats are great for supporting distal limbs,” says Mitchell. “I don’t wrap legs unless a horse is prone to swelling.” Even then, this should be done with care. “I prefer horses be taken out of the stall for short walks multiple times a day [over wrapping them],” he emphasizes.

“I typically only recommend wrapping when there’s a history of swelling when the horse is stalled or traveling, or when there is noticeable swelling of a limb,” says Mitchell. He prefers bandages be reset every 10 to 12 hours if the horse must wear them.

Like Bidwell, Mitchell advocates cushioning for equine joints.

“Deeply bedded stalls and portable stall mats are great tools for keeping the horses comfortable,” he says. “Keeping your horse’s stall clean and deeply bedded makes him feel more comfortable to lie down and rest, which makes for a stronger horse the next day.”

If a horse will be spending time in a stall or tied for multiple hours with no shavings or mats, Mitchell recommends owners use Soft Ride boots to support the horse’s feet. Additionally, the use of rubbing alcohol can cool down lower legs and keep them clean when the horse is working on muddy ground.

Though our horsekeeping traditions often encourage us to wrap our horses for hours on end and to apply all sorts of products to their legs, it’s clear that simple is better when it comes to equine leg care. Using ice, providing lots of walks, and a deeply bedded stall without unnecessary leg wraps can all assist in keeping your horse healthy and primed for competition.

This article about post-workout leg care for the horse appeared in the April 2023 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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Top 10 Tips To Prevent Horse Leg Injuries

Leg injuries can be serious and many take months (or even years) to heal. Some injuries never heal properly and you could be left with a lame horse.

Of course, you can’t cover your horse’s legs in bubble wrap (well, maybe you could but he would look pretty strange!), but here are 10 things you can do that can help prevent horse leg injuries.

1. Boot up to prevent injuries!

The first tip to prevent horse leg injuries is to make sure to provide boots. If you’re going to jump or gallop, put brushing boots or splint boots on your horse. These are padded boots that go on all four legs that protect your horse’s legs in case he knocks his front legs with his hind hooves, which can cause bruises or cuts. Padded boots also give extra support to the muscles and tendons in a horse’s leg.

If a horse is traveling at fast speeds, a hind hoof may “overreach” and tread on the heel of a front leg, causing a nasty cut that may take forever to heal. Prevent these cuts by putting rubber overreach boots on his front legs.

2. Avoid hard ground to avoid leg injuries

Try to avoid riding your horse on hard ground. If the ring is rock hard, stick to a walk or ride out in the fields. Riding on hard ground causes concussion in your horse’s legs as he bangs on the ground with his hooves. This concussion can injure or weaken the tendons and bones in his legs and can cause arthritis or navicular when he gets older.

If you board at a barn, it’s the owner’s responsibility to make sure the ring surface is kind on your horse’s legs. The ring should be raked or dragged regularly. If the ring is always hard, move your horse to a barn where the owner cares about horses’ legs.

3. Daily checks on your horse’s legs

Take a look at your horse’s legs every day. If he lives in a pasture, walk out and run your hands down his legs to feel for lumps and bumps that might need treating. You should be picking out your horse’s hooves on a daily basis, so check his legs at the same time.

4. Treat swellings or lameness quickly

If you spot an injury on your horse’s leg, spray cold water on it to remove blood so you can get a closer look. If the wound is serious, call the veterinarian right away because it might need stitching. If the bleeding doesn’t stop, place a bandage over the cut and use your hand to apply pressure to the wound until the vet arrives.

If you notice a swelling on a leg, feel it right away. If it feels hot, hose it with cold water for about 15 minutes, then check it again. Cold water can reduce swelling. If the leg still feels hot, call the vet and explain the situation. He may tell you to put an ice pack on the swelling, or he may say keep on hosing until he can get to your barn to examine your horse.

5. Handle young legs with care to prevent horse leg injuries

The next tip to prevent horse leg injuries is to make sure you handle young legs with care. Young horses have bones that are still growing and developing, so it’s important that you don’t work them too hard at an early age. If a youngster is lunged on hard ground or galloped too much he may develop arthritis later on. You may also damage his delicate tendons and muscles.

If you back a horse at two, stick to slower speeds and don’t do too much with him until he’s a bit older. Many sport horse people start horses under saddle when they turn three. And it’s not a great idea to jump a horse until he’s at least four because you can put too much stress on his young bones.

6.Regular shoeing and trimming

Schedule your farrier on a regular basis—try to get him or her to trim or shoe your horse every five or six weeks. You don’t want shoes falling off or hoof cracks getting bigger and bigger. If your horse has lameness issues, a good farrier will be able to forge therapeutic shoes for him. These are special shoes that may help your horse stay sounder.

7. Joint-care supplements to prevent horse leg injuries

The next tip to prevent horse leg injuries is to make sure to provide joint-care supplements. If your older horse is starting to shows signs of arthritis (stiffness or lameness), you could try putting him on a joint-care supplement. These supplements contain joint lubricants such as glucosamine hydrochloride, chrondroitin sulfate or hyaluronic acid. Ask your veterinarian if she thinks a particular supplement would be beneficial to your horse.

8. Warm up gradually

Don’t just jump on your horse and start galloping around the arena or through the fields. Just like humans, horses need to warm up for exercise gradually or they can strain muscles or tendons. Always walk for five or 10 minutes before you start jogging or loping. And remember to cool down your horse as well. Spend about five or 10 minutes walking before you take him back to the barn and untack him.

9. Sufficient bedding

Don’t skimp on straw or shavings in your horse’s stall or pen. Horses can injure their legs while lying down or getting up if they are kept on hard concrete floors. Horses can also get painful sores on their hocks if there isn’t enough bedding in their pens or stalls.

10. Outside living

The last tip to prevent horse leg injuries is to make sure the horse lives outside as much as possible. A horse’s leg joints are far healthier if he spends most of his time outdoors in a field, able to mosey where he likes. If he stays in a stall all the time, he can get stiff.

Young horses, especially, should spend loads of time outdoors. If they spend too much time stuck in a stall their bones won’t grow and develop normally and this can cause lameness or arthritis when they get older.

Older, arthritic horses seem to be less ouchy and stiff if they spend lots of time outdoors as well.

This article originally appeared in the November/December 2005 issue of Young Rider magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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